Stagecoach Festival 2020 Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns

The Stagecoach Music Festival has postponed its 2020 event in response to the coronavirus, organizers announced Tuesday evening (March 10).

The Los Angeles Times reports that promoters Goldenvoice have moved both Stagecoach and the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival from their planned dates in April to October after consulting with officials in Riverside County, where the annual events takes place, after three more cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the county on Monday (March 9).

"At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns," Goldenvoice posted in a statement online. "While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials."

Coachella was set for the weekends of April 10 and 17 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., and it's moving to the weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16. Stagecoach was set for April 24-26 in Indio, with headliners Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church. The Stagecoach Festival will now run from Oct. 23-25 at Empire Polo Club.

*Update: On March 13 Stagecoach announced its new lineup, which includes many of the same artists as the original, including all three headliners.

"All purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates. Purchasers will be notified by Friday, March 13, on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend," Goldenvoice's statement continues. “Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the desert this fall.”

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The news comes just days after the 2020 SXSW festival in Austin was canceled on Friday (March 6) amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. A number of high-profile music events all over the world have also been canceled as the virus impacts financial markets and disrupts trade, including Tin Pan South, while the Zac Brown Band have postponed their spring tour, becoming the first country group to cancel or postpone multiple North American dates in 2020 over the virus.

International festivals including the C2C Festival in Europe have seen American acts including Old Dominion cancel. Home Free have called off several shows due to coronavirus. As of Wedesday morning, more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus had been diagnosed in the United States, and the number has been increasingly rapidly.

USA Today reports that the number of deaths worldwide from coronavirus has now topped 4,200, and there are 28 deaths confirmed in the United States.